The Satellite Soldiers
by SailorIo3
Summary: Before Lita joined the Sailor Scouts and Sailor Moon on their epic journey to save the world, Lita was a little girl on Jupiter, guarded by the Sattelite Soldiers. This is their story.
1. Prologue

Gratuitous Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and its characters therein are not my property. The concept and characterization of the Satellite Soldiers is of my own research and imagination.  
  
Author's note: This story came to my mind through a few different channels. One, Sailor Jupiter is my favorite Sailor Scout, and so I started to look up info on her actual planet. (Mostly because I missed the Jupiter section of my Astronomy class!! Oh well!) Lo and behold, I learned that Jupiter has a decent number of satellites, but four stood out because of their size and strange features. I thought of these satellites as guardians of Jupiter (Hey, Sailor Moon defends Earth, doesn't she?) so then the idea sprouted: Maybe the other Scouts (Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Mercury) had their own guardians BEFORE they were Sailor Scouts. And I'm not talking male soldiers, but a form of Sailor Scout. Thus I started to study a little bit of the Greek mythology as well as astronomy surrounding Jupiter and its satellites to come up with the characters, their personalities (somewhat!) and powers.  
  
The Satellite Soldiers By Sailor_Io  
  
Prologue: There are separate stories to be told, before the Silver Millennium. At its dawn, each planet had its own set of protectors. Their purpose: to protect their planets, its people and last but not least, protect their planet's princess. Some planets had simple knights, but for Jupiter, it was protected by the satellites, mainly the planets' largest four. These protectors, Sailors Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa, protected their ruling planet like no other. This is their story.  
  
Jupiter Princess Lita ran through her mother's garden, her sugar pink dress billowing around her. She was trying to chase down her good friend, the Princess of the Moon, Serena.  
  
"Nyah, nyah, can't get me!" Serena giggled as she hid behind the tallest oak tree in the garden. "I made it to the base!"  
  
"Ugh!" Lita grunted, sticking her tongue out. She giggled and shook her head. "You're quick, Serena."  
  
Serena nodded and ran back to her taller friend. "So are you!"  
  
"Say.what did our parents haveta talk about? Do you know?"  
  
Serena closed her blue eyes and frowned. "I'm not really sure.Momma just said that it was important." She smiled. "Maybe it's about you coming over for a sleep over!"  
  
Lita laughed. "I don't think they'd call that important!"  
  
The Princesses laughed and ran hand-in-hand to the flower-bed to make crowns out of the lilies.  
  
Meanwhile, the Queen of the Moon and the King of Jupiter met in private in the Oak Chamber. Its windows overlooked the palace's spacious garden. "King Edward.I have sensed an evil presence near Jupiter for the past few weeks," Queen Serenity said as she watched the Princesses play.  
  
The King of Jupiter closed his brown eyes and nodded. He lifted his head. "I know. Do you know what it is?"  
  
"I am not completely sure. All I know is that it is a dark power that threatens your planet. I have talked with the Priestess of Time about this power."  
  
"Sailor Pluto?" the King gasped. Not many had the privilege to talk to the Scout of Time.  
  
"Yes. She would not tell me what the power was, but that you should seek out the Satellite Soldiers immediately."  
  
"The Satellite Soldiers." The King thought back to his own childhood. When he was about Princess Lita's age, his father, King Reginald, told him about the Satellite Soldiers.  
  
"If we are ever in a crisis, we must look to them. Four soldiers from Europa, Callisto, Ganymede and Io." His father had said.  
  
"But.how will we find them, Father?" Edward asked.  
  
"Call for the brave of heart, and they will come. They will represent each of your four major satellites.and just like their satellites, they will be different, but they will work together for a single goal: peace."  
  
King Edward shook himself out of his memory. "I understand. I will contact each satellites' leaders to send its best and brightest to our Regent Training Facility. There we can observe them, and then, after we've located the four soldiers, train them for the coming darkness." 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Weeks later.  
  
Callisto: The Satellite of Beauty  
  
Callista yawned and stretched her toned arms over her head. The morning sun streamed into her window, warming her face as she blinked her dark eyes.  
  
"Callista! You're not up yet?" a stern but loving voice asked. Callista groaned as she looked at her timepiece. It was only an hour past dawn. Her eyes regarded her plump caretaker of the past ten years. Betheleen had raised Callista since her parents died in a boating accident. She was strict, and a little too organized at times, but Callista loved her as if she were her birth mother.  
  
Callista yawned again and shrugged, her long dark hair cascading down her back. "This is the only day I get to sleep in!"  
  
"That's no excuse for laziness! Up!" Callista grumbled as she threw her thin legs over the side of her bed. "I didn't raise you to be a loafer!"  
  
Callista sighed and smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I know. And I thank you for it."  
  
"There's no time for buttering me up now, young lady! I thought you and Sophia were going to go to the Hall of Records today to do research.or is that not going to happen since you're tired?"  
  
Callista's eyes grew as she gasped. "That's right!" she rushed to her bureau and quickly threw on a pair of training pants and an old long sleeved button down shirt. "I was supposed to be there five minutes ago!"  
  
Betheleen smirked as Callista hopped around the room, pulling on her boots. "And I thought this was your only day off from your studies?"  
  
"No rest for the wicked, I'm afraid," Callista said as she grabbed her bag. She planted a quick kiss on Betheleen's cherub cheek. "I'll be back before dinner. I promise."  
  
As Callista ran towards the library, she took a quick look around. Callisto has to be the most beautiful celestial body in the universe! Well, maybe next to Jupiter, she thought.  
  
Callisto was covered with fragrant flowers of all colors, and the weather was always pleasant.  
  
Callisto was known as the satellite of beauty. Almost all the greatest artists, poets, dancers and musicians in the Jupiter system came from Callisto. Callista always appreciated her lessons in the arts, but found her talents elsewhere, leading her instructors to nominate her to become a trainee to become a soldier for Jupiter and her home satellite.  
  
At the library's entrance she spied a beautiful young woman, sixteen years old, with shoulder length dark blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a pressed training uniform, a stark contrast to Callista's rumpled outfit.  
  
"You are ten point four minutes late, Callista," Sophia said, tapping her foot. "Not in good form." Sophia's home satellite, Europa, nominated Sophia and 100 others to represent her satellite for the "soldiership" as they had dubbed it.  
  
When Callista first met Sophia during orientation, she thought that all Europans were cold and overly proper. Sophia was a little introverted, and definitely proper, but she quickly became a good friend.  
  
Callista rubbed the back of her neck and smirked. "I overslept."  
  
Sophia grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. She waved her hand. "That's okay. I just got here a minute ago. I overslept too. Training is rough."  
  
"You said it!" Callista grinned as they entered the Hall of Records. "So, what's the count up to now?"  
  
"It should be phrased, 'down to now.' The Headquarters lost twelve more last night." They all trained on Jupiter in the Regent Training Facility. Only four trainees would be selected to become the protectors of Jupiter. Ideally, they were all supposed to come from different satellites. They found a table and sat down.  
  
Callista shook her head. "Didn't we start out with 500? So what does that bring us. down to?"  
  
"Twenty, and we're not even half way through with training yet."  
  
"Hey-hey-hey!" boomed a male voice.  
  
Callista rolled her eyes. Wril Gaaen and Tosh Fulbert sauntered over to the young women. Wril and Tosh were both tall. Wril was known for his beautiful blue eyes, and Tosh for his wavy brown hair. Callista, Wril and Tosh had grown up together, and both boys annoyed Callista more than a mosquito buzzing around her ear.  
  
"I didn't know you ladies would be here today! What a great surprise." Wril smiled, flashing his straight pearly white teeth. Attractiveness in countenance and personality were traits that seemed to be engraved into most, if not all Callistans, although it seemed that Wril and Tosh were missing the personality portion.  
  
Callista shifted in her seat. "Wril, we're here to study, not to chit chat."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Beautiful." Wril said, batting his long lashed blue eyes. "But hey, go out with me after dinner, and I'll chit chat your ear off all night!"  
  
"Is that a promise or a threat?" Sophia mumbled as she opened her book.  
  
"You're studying? Are you going into teaching or something, Callista?" Tosh asked as he scooted next to Sophia. He frowned as he grabbed the Europan's book and turned to its cover. "What this-- 'Battle Tactics and Maneuvers'? Are you both nuts? The RTF is harsh! My brother Marc dropped out last week because he got so beat up."  
  
"Well, we're different, right Sophia?" Callista asked as she produced her own book.  
  
Sophia stared Tosh down. "You said it." She grabbed her book back and opened it to the correct page. "Now. Beat it!"  
  
"Hmph. Well, if you change your mind, you know where I bunk, Callie."  
  
Wril said as he winked. "Later ladies."  
  
"What an annoying male specimen," Sophia grunted as she pulled out a pen and underlined a passage. "Next time, we study at my place, okay?"  
  
"You got it." Callista smiled and nodded. Sophia's a great friend. Although, Callista thought, having a male specimen that wasn't annoying would be nice. but. Callista shook her head. Jupiter comes first.  
  
The Regent Training Facility: Classroom  
  
Gabrielle sighed as she reached the training facility. She straightened her petite body and walked forward. She was one of the last recruits from Io-maybe even THE last. Ioans weren't known for being terrific soldiers. Ioans were politicians, lawyers and judges, not fighters. Many of the citizens voiced this opinion when the King of Jupiter proclaimed that each satellite must send its best and brightest. So, Io only sent 20 recruits, while satellites like Ganymede and Europa sent hundreds. She crossed her brown arms over her chest. At least today is a field exam, she thought. I can test out my skills there.  
  
She found a seat and observed the other candidates in her classroom.  
  
A Europa girl, about 13 years of age looked at her schedule and pointed out a line of text to her Callisto cousin.  
  
"Let's see here. it looks like at the end of this week, we have to shave the numbers down again. We have to go down to 6."  
  
"Wow, they're really getting serious about this!" the Callistan whistled.  
  
An older Ganymede girl laughed as she leaned against one of the smooth marble walls that flanked the hallway. Her short copper red hair flared in the morning sun that streamed from the large picture windows. "Six?" she asked. She crossed her strong arms over her chest and smiled. "Notta problem. I'm in it to win it."  
  
"Don't be so sure!" piped up another Ganymede native. She swung her long black braid over her shoulder. Her light brown eyes narrowed. "I think I'll get our satellite's honors, Najla." She said, sneering the other girl's last name.  
  
"Najla" narrowed her stunning green eyes. "Why ain't WE the know-it- all, Scalza," "Najla" sneered.  
  
"Ladies!" A voice groaned. It was Instructor Byron. He was at least 50 years old, and had a beautiful long mane of silver hair. "I hope you're done with your little spat. It's time to train."  
  
"Yes sir!" the young women chorused.  
  
"Today I am going to break you up into teams. I need Trainees 352, 226, 500 and 005 to form a group with Trainees 414, 190, 090 and 111."  
  
I hate being known as a number! Gabrielle sighed as she found her teammates. But, at least it keeps everything fair.  
  
"So, you're from Io, eh?" the girl named "Scalza" asked.  
  
Gabrielle blinked her mysterious dark eyes and nodded. "Indeed. And you must be from Ganymede."  
  
"Well, aren't we perceptive! Just like an Ioan. I'm Wallis Scalza, the soon-to-be new Satellite Soldier of Ganymede."  
  
"That's a bunch o' bull, Scalza!" the taller red haired "Najla" spat. "It ain't ova 'til it's ova!" She turned to face Gabrielle. The Ioan gasped. She felt a strange jolt when she looked into "Najla"'s eyes. Maybe it was because her eyes were such a startling shade of green. They were probably greener than the spruce trees on Europa. "We've gotta few more weeks left yet, eh, Io?"  
  
Gabrielle frowned. "... The name is Gabrielle."  
  
"Right. Say, ya mind if I call ya Gabby?" Just as Gabrielle opened her mouth to protest, the girl from Ganymede continued. "I'm number 352, Trudy Najla. Are ya number 090?"  
  
"Why ... yes. Yes, I am."  
  
"Say! Ya must be tha brainiac everyone's been talkin' 'bout! Ya posted some impressive scores, although, I have ta say that I beatcha by twenty points in sparrin'. No one's bettern' me in sparrin'! We'll have ta practice together sometime, eh? Maybe if I help ya improve sparrin' wise, ya could give me pointers on tactics? How 'bout it?"  
  
Gabrielle could only nod. This girl talks a lot! She thought.  
  
"Why don't you talk her ear off, Najla?" Wallis huffed, echoing Gabrielle's thoughts. "Besides, we have to get our assignments from Instructor Byron."  
  
Gabrielle watched as a beautiful young girl about her age crossed the room to pick up her assignment. She must be from Callisto, Gabrielle thought. The girl even walked beautifully. The Callisto girl talked her assignment over with her partner, a pretty blond girl from Europa. They looked like good friends. Gabrielle sighed as she approached Instructor Byron. She had hoped that she would at least make some friends while she was training. So far, she always sat by herself at lunch. Maybe with our class being smaller, I can meet some people from the other group.  
  
"Number zero-nine-zero, Instructor," Gabrielle said.  
  
"Ah, our lead student in tactics. I'm paring you up with Number 352."  
  
That talkative girl?!?!?! Gabrielle's mind screamed. "Your mission: Jupiter intelligence has detected a strange hostile alien in the southern region. We want you and the other two recruits to investigate the being, and, if it is indeed hostile, dispose of it."  
  
Gabrielle saluted and nodded. "I understand."  
  
Trainee Mission #1: Discover the hostile alien form and dispose of it.  
  
The other Ganymede recruit, Wallis, and an Europan, Mara, decided to take a different route, while Gabrielle convinced Trudy to take the more logical route to go to the site where the alien was first spotted, and then track it to its next location.  
  
Gabrielle looked up to the taller trainee. Just like a lot of Ganymedeians, Trudy was tall as well as athletic. Many of the sports stars in the Jupiter system came from the satellite of Ganymede. "So, what's life like fer ya on Io, Gabby?" Trudy said, breaking the long silence.  
  
"Well ... it's normal I suppose."  
  
"Save the volcanic eruptions an' earthquakes, eh?"  
  
Gabrielle laughed. "Yeah."  
  
Trudy winked. "See! I knew I could make ya laugh! 'Allo, 'allo! Whut's this now?" Trudy bent down and examined the ground. "Loose soil, an' lots o' it!"  
  
"Yes. A sign that something ... in this case, something large, has been here recently."  
  
"Exactly! I knew I picked a good partner!" Just as Gabrielle began to argue that they were assigned to be partners, a loud scream filled the area. Wallis and her partner charged at them, their faces filled with terror.  
  
"B.Bug! A big.big .bug!" Wallis screamed.  
  
Trudy laughed. "What a whuss, eh, Gabby?" She turned and yelled at Wallis' back as she began to spin her spear around. "Hey, I'll squash your lil' critter fer ya! Heh, I knew she couldn't hack it."  
  
"Um ... Trudy?" Gabrielle mumbled.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"BIG BUG!"  
  
Trudy turned around and gasped. "Okay, m' mistake. That's a big bug!!"  
  
The insect stood at least ten feet tall and had to weigh at least 800 pounds. Its pinchers snapped at the air as multiple eyes regarded the two trainees. "This must be the alien we're supposed to exterminate." Gabrielle whispered.  
  
"Any ideas? 'cause I'm fresh outta 'em!"  
  
"Sure, give me a moment..."  
  
The insect lashed a pincher at Trudy. She dove to her right and tumbled safely away. "That we don't have, Gabby!"  
  
"That's it!" she cried. "Attacking head-on is no good. Its eyesight is best that way. But, it has little to no vision on the peripheral."  
  
"Once again, but this time 'n a language I can understand!" Trudy said as she ducked another attack.  
  
"A side or back attack is the best way to go. I'll keep it busy, and you use that spear of yours."  
  
Trudy nodded. "Needn't tell me twice!"  
  
Gabrielle lunged into the insect's field of vision. "Hey!" she said yelled waving her arms. "Come and get it!"  
  
The insect roared, spittle and mucus flying from its jaws. C'mon Trudy! Gabrielle thought as the insect surged towards her.  
  
In a split second, the insect froze, its jaws wide open. After a moment, it fell to the ground, black blood spilling from its mouth. "Nothing to it!"  
  
Trudy laughed as she bounded over a part of the fallen insect. "Yer a great strategist, Kiddo! We make a great team!"  
  
"Yeah!" Gabrielle laughed. Seconds later, the beast turned into ash and blew away.  
  
"Now THAT'S odd..." Trudy said.  
  
Gabrielle gasped and blinked her eyes. "Say ... you have a ... a symbol on your forehead, Trudy!"  
  
"I-I do?" Trudy frowned and attempted to look at her forehead. She patted her temple. "A symbol? Is that normal? 'cause you've got one too. If I remember m' history, that's the symbol o' Io!"  
  
Gabrielle stumbled back and raised a hand to her own forehead. "Symbol? ... of Io? But why ... ?"  
  
"Well, we can stop askin' now ... it disappeared ..." Trudy said, sitting on the ground. She looked at scorch mark on the ground. "Where did this thing come from anyways?"  
  
Gabrielle sat next to Trudy and hugged her knees. "Probably the NegaVerse."  
  
"NegaVerse? I thought that was just a fairy tale that our grandmothers told us t' keep us 'n line. What do ya know about it?"  
  
Gabrielle sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?"  
  
"Why would I laugh at cha, Gabby? Just spit it out already! I 'ate drama!"  
  
"Fine. My parents are diplomats for Io." Trudy turned the information in her mind and shrugged. "Why would I laugh about that?"  
  
"... Everyone else does here. Imagine, a daughter of highly ranked politicians getting THIS far in training. They think that my parents bribed my way here."  
  
Trudy shook her head and placed a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Hey, ya taken yer share o' punches too. I respect ya, Gabrielle. I do. Nothing ya done would make m' think that ya got here by an illegal way. You just proved that now. Especially with that symbol of Io appearin'and all. So, tell me all about it."  
  
Gabrielle smiled, a tear falling from her eye. "Thanks, Trudy ..."  
  
"Hey! Whut's this? No tears! We just defeated a formidable foe!" Trudy said, smiling.  
  
Gabrielle sniffed and shook her head. "N-no ... it's not that. You-you're my only true friend here."  
  
"Well, if it's any consolation, yer m' only friend here too. I just 'ope that the other two candidates that make it will get along with us, 'cause we're definitely gonna be protectors o' Jupiter!"  
  
"Right!" Gabrielle smiled as she wiped her tear away. "Anyway, about the NegaVerse ..." 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Elsewhere in the Cosmos ...  
  
In the deep throes of space sits a cold, dark and dreary area, devoid of any pure light or happiness. It is called the NegaVerse. It feeds on despair, jealousy, loneliness and hate. The ruler of a large portion this area is a beautiful but evil woman, Cassiopea.  
  
Cassiopea sat tall on her throne and peered down upon her subjects. She tucked a stray piece of ebony hair behind her slightly pointed ear. Her blood red eyes narrowed.  
  
"Well? How are my demons doing? I want results NOW." Figures cringed and drew back to the dark recesses of the dark throne room.  
  
The only figure to stay in what little light illuminated the room shrugged. He was dressed in a black uniform, decorated with gold medals. His lilac colored hair skimmed his broad shoulders as he shook his head. "I won't know for another hour, Cassiopea," Cephus said. He ground his molars. It was a habit he had acquired ever since he met the hot-headed woman. They both wanted the same thing, to rule Jupiter. It was just that Cephus wanted to rule by himself.  
  
"Fine, Cephus. Tell me as soon as you know. I want to head to Jupiter myself soon. I know that the King will be a pushover once we have his precious daughter."  
  
"That he will be. My sources say that he is quickly trying to find the mythical Sailor Satellites. I think he might have been tipped as to a possible attack."  
  
Cassiopea laughed. "Not likely, but if he is, you'll take care of it, or I'll take care of you."  
  
Cephus bowed. "Understood." He turned sharply and exited the room, his dark cape fluttering as he marched out. He entered his dark chambers and sat in front of his mirror. "Hades." he murmured.  
  
The mirror shivered as a figure appeared on the opposite side. A young man, approximately 20 years old appeared. His ebony hair hung past his shoulders.  
  
"Ah, Cephus. How is it being Cassiopea's lap dog?" The young man asked, smirking.  
  
"Very amusing, Hades. Remember who created you?"  
  
Hades' smile faded. "Right. What can I do for you, O creator?"  
  
"That's better. I have an assignment for you. It looks like those demons we created aren't doing the job."  
  
Hades furrowed his dark brows. "That can't be! Those were rather powerful demons!"  
  
"Well, Cassiopea wants everything sped up. I want you to go to Jupiter to kidnap Princess Lita."  
  
Hades tapped his finger against his temple. "What of those. Satellite Soldiers?"  
  
"They haven't been found yet."  
  
"So we still have some time." Hades smiled. "Although, I think I'd rather wait awhile."  
  
"Wait? Are you insane? They might be found by the next cycle!"  
  
"That's fine by me. That way I can test out my new powers. I promise you, Cephus, I'll take Princess Lita and get rid of those Satellite Soldiers for you all in one try."  
  
Cephus shook his head. "You had better do it, because if Cassiopea doesn't see any results, she's going to make me responsible, and if I suffer, YOU suffer." "No worries, O creator. I assure you, Princess Lita will be ours."  
  
Back on Jupiter. Training Mission #2: Dispose of another alien life form on Jupiter  
  
"So! This is it! Our big training mission!" Callista said, hopping onto a boulder. "Quite strange ... it seems surreal. I wonder if we'll even actually FIND this thing. Whatever it is." Sophia commented as she leaned on the boulder. "Say, Sophie," Callista said, sitting atop the rock, "If you didn't get to be a protector of Jupiter, what would you do?" "You mean, like a career?" "Yeah." "Well ..." Sophia shrugged. "I always dreamt of becoming a teacher." "You seem well suited to it. I'm sure you'd be a great teacher, Sophie." Sophia smiled. "Thank you. What about you, Callista? What would you do?" "Me? Well ..." Callista paused and shrugged. "I don't know. I would probably move to Jupiter to become a writer. But my big dream is to be married and to have a family. I lost my parents when I was very young, so family is important to me." "I can see you being a doting mother," Sophia nodded. Just as Callista started to say, "Thank you," birds scattered, and many of the animals of the forest came bounding towards them.  
  
"What in the world--?" Sophia gasped as she leapt to the boulder. A strange figure lumbered towards them, the obvious cause of the animals fleeing.  
  
"What IS that thing?" Callista whispered.  
  
Sophia shook her head. "I don't know, Callista, but I think that this is what we were supposed to find ..." The creature was human-like ... to a point. It stood on two feet and had two arms, but the arms were made out of steel and shaped like knives. It spotted them and made a strange groan. "Uh oh ..." Callista gasped. She drew her bow. "Looks like we need to take it down."  
  
"I agree. May I have the honor of the first attack?"  
  
Callista frowned. She had never really seen Sophia in combat before. Callista shrugged and nodded. "Well-sure! Let's take him out!"  
  
Sophia nodded and closed her eyes. What is she doing? Callista panicked. Then, it happened. The monster stopped and started looking around at some object that seemed to be alluding it.  
  
Is ... is Sophie doing this? Callista thought. She shook her head. Whether or not she was did not matter now. She aimed her arrow and shot, aiming for the beast's head. Her shot was true, and connected directly with the beast.  
  
The beast emitted a horrendous howl as it crashed to the ground. "Hey, we did it!" Callista cheered. Within seconds, the beast crumbled and turned into dust. "Huh? That's not normal!"  
  
Sophia opened her eyes and smiled. "We did, didn't we? Hey, Callista- you have a symbol on your forehead!"  
  
"Huh? A symbol? Now that you mention it ... so do you, Sophie. What does it say?"  
  
"It ... well, it looks like the symbol of your satellite, Callisto."  
  
"Weird! ... hey, it just disappeared from your forehead!"  
  
Sophia blinked and sat down. "I wonder what it means?"  
  
"I do too ... Say ... Sophie ... what exactly did you just do?"  
  
"Oh. That. Well, I have some limited mind control abilities. I can project my thoughts into the minds of other beings. It doesn't work so well with humans, but it works with most animals."  
  
"You never cease to amaze me, Sophie. In the meantime, we have to get back to Instructor Byron and tell him what happened."  
  
Back at the RTF:  
  
Instructor Byron nodded to the four trainees who successfully completed their missions. "So, you four are the only ones who came back. Tell me what happened?"  
  
The Ioian nodded. "Well sir, when we-"  
  
The Ganymedian jumped up and started sparing the air. "We met with the beast and Gabby here came up with a great plan an' we took it out o' commission!"  
  
Gabrielle shrugged and shook her head. "... Yeah. That's basically what happened. Trudy did a great job too, though. Her skills are really awesome. It was a really big and evil creature, definitely not of this world."  
  
"Same with us!" the Callistan candidate nodded. "But luckily I had Sophia with me and we stopped it. Although, something weird happened after we defeated the alien."  
  
Instructor Byron raised his eyebrow. "Oh? What happened?"  
  
"When Callista and I finished, the symbols of Europa and Callisto appeared on our foreheads, Sir," Sophia, the Europan said.  
  
"'ey! Same here!" Trudy said.  
  
"... Well, not necessarily the same symbols," Gabrielle said. "But the signs of Ganymede and Io." Byron smiled and clasped his hands. "This is too good to be true!" He stood and ran to the doorway. "Page! I need a Page urgently!"  
  
"Why does he need a Page? Is he writin' a book?" Trudy whispered to Gabrielle. "No, Trudy. Pages are usually messengers for the King ... I wonder ..." "Tell the King we've found them! We've found the Satellite Soldiers!"  
  
Instructor Byron yelled down the hallway.  
  
The four girls blinked. "Huh?" Callista asked.  
  
"We're ... we're the ones?" Sophia whispered.  
  
Instructor Byron raced back to the girls. "Oh, this is marvelous! I had an inkling after observing your scores all this time, but!" he shook his head. "Those symbols prove it! Quickly now, we have no time to waste. The King will want to see you immediately!" Members of the Royal Guard poured into the room and bowed. "Please escort the Satellite Soldiers to the Purification Room." Byron told the Guards.  
  
"Purification?" Gabrielle asked.  
  
"Yes. It is part of the ceremony. We must make sure that you inherit your powers without delay. Quickly, now. Follow the Guards!"  
  
* * * * * *  
  
After purifying their bodies, the young women dressed in beautiful long gowns, save one. Callista's gown was a sleeveless deep green silk dress. Sophia's was a midnight blue dress with a high neck and long sleeves, suitable to her Europan upbringing, and Gabrielle wore a sequined black dress with spaghetti straps. Trudy, the athlete and tomboy that she was, decided to wear a dressy pants suit in red.  
  
"So, what do you make of this, Gabrielle?" Sophia asked.  
  
"This is not at all what I had expected," she admitted.  
  
"Yeah, rather formal, eh? I thought we'd just start trainin' right away, ya know?" Trudy said punching her fist. "At least they let me wear pants. Ugh, I 'ate dresses!"  
  
Callista giggled. "You're funny, Trudy."  
  
"I'm not funny, I'm just tellin' the truth!" she laughed. "An' I don't care much fer balls neither."  
  
"It'll be fun, Trudy," Callista said.  
  
"I wonder if we'll meet the Princess ..." Gabrielle mused.  
  
"I wondered that as well, Gabrielle." Sophia piped up. "She is the one that we're supposed to primarily protect.and assist in training, right?"  
  
"Right." Gabrielle nodded. "In a few years, she'll start training to become the protector of Jupiter, and first and foremost, the protector of the Moon Princess."  
  
"It sounds so romantic!" Callista sighed.  
  
"Romantic, smantic, I just wanna get this thing ova with!" Trudy said as they headed towards the restricted level of the castle.  
  
*  
  
The King of Jupiter looked down upon the four young women. "These are the four candidates, sire," Instructor Byron said. "They each represent one of our major satellites." The King nodded, stroking his long brown beard. "Just like the prophetess of time commanded ... good work." The King turned to the four girls, all so different from each other. A firey red head, an introverted blond, a laughing brunette and a serious, intelligent darker complexioned girl. "Could I have your names and satellites please?"  
  
The red head bounded forward and bent down on one knee. "Gertrude "Trudy" Najla from Ganymede, your highness."  
  
"Ah, I've heard a lot about you. Tops in sparing I hear."  
  
"Yes sir!" Trudy beamed.  
  
"I am Gabrielle Greer from Io, Majesty," the mysterious woman curtseyed. "It is an honor to finally meet you."  
  
"Ah! You must be the daughter of Giselle and Garren. They are two of my most trusted advisors. You did exceptionally well in all your studies. Especially tactics and leadership."  
  
"Thank you, Majesty."  
  
"Callista Amina of Callisto, Sire," the brunette said, curtseying.  
  
"I could guess that just by looking at you." The King smiled. "Quite graceful and lovely. I hear that you did very well in your course work." "Thank you, Sire."  
  
"And you must be from Europa?" The King asked the quiet blond. He remembered the culture of Europa. It was very proper. Children never spoke to their elders until spoken to.  
  
She nodded and stepped forward, making a sweeping curtsey. "Yes, Your Worship. I am Sophia Eira."  
  
"You also scored impressively across the board. I am glad that you were selected. In fact, I am glad that all four of you were selected, because I hear that all four of you bear the mark of your satellites as well."  
  
"Yes ... we were wondering about that ..." Gabrielle nodded. "What exactly does it mean, Sire?"  
  
"It means that your home worlds have chosen you. You all are the rightful protectors of Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede, as well as Jupiter."  
  
"... and the young Princess ..." Callista piped up. Princess Lita would be nine this season.  
  
The King smiled. "Yes, and my daughter. It is prophesied by the Guardian of Time that she will become a protector of the Moon Princess. In the meantime, she will need your protection and guidance. Now, the only thing to do is to give you these."  
  
The King of Jupiter turned and picked up an oak box with the symbol of Jupiter engraved onto its lid. "This box contains your Transformation sticks. Each has your satellite's sign engraved in the jewel on its top." He opened the box, and four beautiful sticks shined inside. "Go ahead. Take them." The girls reached into the oak box and pulled out their transformation sticks.  
  
Instructor Byron stepped forward. "Now, to transform, you each need to call out your Satellite's name, followed by, 'Satellite Protection Power.' "  
  
The King smiled. "I say they try it out right now, do you agree, Lord Byron?"  
  
The instructor smiled and nodded. "I agree. Try it out."  
  
"All right. Let's do it!" Callista smiled. The others nodded as they thrust their transformation sticks into the air.  
  
"Callisto Satellite Protection Power!" Green shards of light shaped like leaves enveloped Callista, and spun her around.  
  
"Ganymede Satellite Protection Power!" Flecks of gold and red light surrounded Trudy, also causing her to spin around.  
  
"Europa Satellite Protection Power!" A blizzard shot from the floor and swirled around Sophia.  
  
"Io Satellite Protection Power!" A gush of dark lava gushed underneath Gabrielle and covered her.  
  
"Whoa!" Sailor Ganymede finally breathed after the transformation. She examined her fuku, a white bodice with a skirt of red, trimmed in gold. She rocked in her knee high red boots. "Whut a rush!" "I'll say!" Sailor Callisto smiled. Their fuku bodices were all white, but their skirt and boot colors differed. Callisto's skirt was hunter green with a silver trim, Europa's midnight blue with a silver trim, and Io's black with a gold trim. Their boot colors corresponded with the main color of their skirt colors. Sailor Europa blushed. "Does the skirt have to be so short?"  
  
Sailor Io tapped a gloved finger against her temple. "It seems that we are missing something."  
  
"That you are." Instructor Byron nodded. "Your sacred weapons. They will appear when you call for them."  
  
"... call for them?" Sailor Io asked. "I don't quite understand what you mean, Sire."  
  
"I think I know, Io," Sailor Callisto said. "We'll call them when there is a need. A need in our hearts, right?"  
  
"You are exactly right, Sailor Callisto," The King nodded. "Your sacred weapons have been handed down for generations. They respond to the will to protect our satellites and Jupiter. Your weapon, Sailor Callisto, is the Bow of Diana and the Arrow of Zeus. Sailor Ganymede-"  
  
"I bet it's a spear! I'm a pro at wieldin' a spear!"  
  
The King chuckled. "Yes. Your weapon is the Spear of Zeus. Sailor Europa, you carry the Staff of Zeus, and Sailor Io, you have the most powerful weapon, the Sword of Zeus."  
  
"So, who's our leader?" Sailor Ganymede asked. "I think it should be the best fighter, and that would be ... me!" "Uh ... well, there really IS no leader." Instructor Byron laughed. "You will decide on your leader when the time comes. Now is the time for the four of you to be introduced to the court." They followed the King and Instructor Byron into the throne room. Many of the gentry attended the event, dressed in their finest attire. "Holy Moley!" Ganymede gasped. "Yeah ... I feel a little overwhelmed!" Callisto whispered.  
  
"Lords and Ladies, I present to you, the protectors of Jupiter's Princess, the Planet Jupiter and its satellites, the Satellite Soldiers! Sailors Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa!"  
  
The crowd roared, almost deafening the newly appointed Soldiers. "This is a ... bit much!" Io sighed.  
  
"I definitely agree!" Europa shouted over the cheers.  
  
"Now, please, Soldiers, feel free to de-morph and enjoy the ball!" the King smiled.  
  
The girls breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. They closed their eyes and concentrated, changing back to their formal attire. A young girl, no more than 10 years old, with chestnut brown hair and green eyes that rivaled Trudy's approached them. "So you're the Satellite Soldiers!"  
  
"Oi! Are ya Princess Lita?" Trudy asked.  
  
The girl nodded, her eyes sparkling in the light. "Yeah!"  
  
"Princess!" The other three exclaimed as they knelt.  
  
Trudy nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you're a cute one. I'm gonna call you lil' Li-Li."  
  
"Trudy! I don't think that would be proper!" Sophia hissed.  
  
The Princess laughed. "No...it's okay! I like that nickname. C'mon, everyone! I wanna know all about you guys!" Princess Lita took Trudy's hand and led her to one of the benches set up against the wall. As they began to talk with their Princess, four figures watched them from the shadows.  
  
"Do you think they know what lies ahead?" one of the figure mused.  
  
"Hmph. Probably not. Their trials have been easy thus far. The real test will come soon." The tallest figure answered.  
  
"Right. Let's keep an eye on them, shall we?" the third figure suggested.  
  
"Good idea. Phoenix said that they were new. I didn't realize HOW new." The first figure noted.  
  
The last figure nodded. "Let's head back. Nothing will happen tonight, thank goodness." The figures nodded and vanished without a trace. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: One month after the Satellite Scouts have received their powers  
  
Princess Lita trotted down the hallway towards the garden. She wanted to climb the large oak tree before dinnertime. She hiked up her skirts and easily scaled the large trunk. She nodded her approval and made her way toward the sturdier branches.  
  
" 'ey there, Kiddo! I didn't realize that ya were a climba!" a voice chuckled.  
  
Lita blinked her green eyes and looked up. A tall figure waved to her from the treetop. "H-how'd you get all the way up there? That's not easy!"  
  
"Simple, I'm just an old pro at climbin'!" The figure quickly climbed down to the Princess' level.  
  
"Oh! Trudy! I should have known it was you!" Lita blushed. She admired Trudy's strength and athleticism. She hoped that she could be at least half as strong as her protector.  
  
"O' course, Li-Li!" Trudy said, winking.  
  
"Are you guys done with training for today?" Lita asked, noting that Trudy was dressed in her training uniform.  
  
"Yep, we sure are. I'm ready fer dinner, personally," Trudy said. "Whaddya say? Ya wanna race me down?"  
  
Lita shook her head. "No way!"  
  
"Wha-Princess! Did ya turn chicken?"  
  
Lita laughed. "No. I just know that you'd beat me!" Lita turned her green eyes to Trudy and smiled. "I wanna be as tough as you when I get bigger, Trudy!"  
  
Trudy slapped a hand on the Princess' shoulder. "An' that ya will be! I have a feelin' you'll be the strongest scout around.afta me, o' course! I promise!" Trudy winked. Lita giggled. "Now, let's get going ta dinner." As they reached the ground, a loud boom sounded, shaking them. Trudy quickly covered Lita's body with her own.  
  
"Wha-what's going on, Trudy?" Lita whispered.  
  
"I dunno, but I don't like it." Trudy said. When the shaking stopped, Trudy carefully rose to her feet. "That was no normal earthquake."  
  
"That's right, GIRL," a voice cackled. Trudy snapped her head to the right. A man, slightly taller than she, stared her down. His hair was an inky black, and his eyes a cold gray.  
  
"Oi! An' who are ya?"  
  
"A faithful servant of the NegaVerse." His thin lips curled into a snarl. "My name is Hades, and I've come to take your Princess away."  
  
The NegaVerse ... just like Gabby said ... Trudy thought. She crossed her arms and returned the stare. "Hades, eh? Well, I bet you've neva had tha pleasure o' bein' whupped by a girl!"  
  
"Trudy!" Lita whispered.  
  
"It's okay, Li-Li. Just stay back. I'm your protector, rememba?" Trudy turned back to Hades. "Time fer ya ta leave, buddy." Trudy thrust her transformation stick into the air. "Ganymede Satellite Protection Power!" A red light encompassed Trudy, changing her into Sailor Ganymede. Lita gasped. She forgot how awesome Trudy looked in this form. "Now yer in big trouble."  
  
Hades broke into a grin. "Ah, so now you are finally ready for combat. Good. I like a little light exercise." "Light exercise? Try this on!" Sailor Ganymede frowned. "Ganymede Ozone Beam!" A burst of hot white light zoomed towards Ganymede's enemy. Hades stood his ground and thrust his palm in front of the pure energy. He easily absorbed it and tossed it over his shoulder, causing a few of the prize- winning plants in the garden to be blown to bits. "Tch! That's no good!" Ganymede grumbled. She looked back to see Lita still standing there in shock. "I told ya ta scoot, lil' Li-Li!" Lita blinked and nodded at her protector. "R-right!" Lita scrambled to her feet and headed towards the palace. "Oh, now that's not fair." Hades sighed. "I was simply going to take your Princess on a trip. Why don't you just give her to me? I'd rather not dirty my hands over this." "Trip my arse. No one gets ta Li-Li unless they get through me first!" Ganymede growled. "Spear of Zeus! I call you forth!" A beautiful spear, taller than Ganymede herself, crafted out of oak, fell into her gloved hands. "Well! It looks like you do have some tricks up your sleeve. I, of course, have some of my own." Hades snapped his fingers, and four gruesome beasts materialized in front of Ganymede. They resembled wolves ... if they were eight foot in height and if they had knife like arms and walked on their hind legs. They were almost pure black in color. Two small beads of yellow stared at her from each beast. "Dirty!-" she spat. A beam of light crashed in front of the beasts. They hissed and receded a bit. "Now that's no fair at all!" A voice said. Ganymede and Hades looked to the large oak tree. "Sailor Callisto!" Ganymede smiled.  
  
"Hey, we couldn't let you have all the fun now, could we?" she asked as she hopped down from the tree. Sailors Io and Europa followed her.  
  
"Especially when the odds are against you. Someone doesn't believe in the code of war, hm?" Europa asked, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"I'll say," Io nodded. "Let's even the score, shall we?" Sailor Io pointed her outstretched palm towards Hades and shouted, "Io Tidal Energy!"  
  
Hades easily dodged the orange blast and chuckled. "You are so pathetic! I thought the defenders of Jupiter would at least give me some sort of a challenge!"  
  
"How's this for a challenge?" Callisto asked. "Callisto Electric Arch!" Callisto made a beautiful arch with her right arm, spun around and threw the bent beam of electricity towards their foe.  
  
Hades didn't bother to even deflect this attack. He simply stood there, letting the beam bounce off his chest. "Ladies, ladies, ladies!" he clucked his tongue. "Now this is just embarrassing. At least you're all attractive. I'll be so sorry to rearrange those faces of yours."  
  
"What do we do?" Europa whispered to the others.  
  
"If we get rid of Hades, we might be able to get rid of his minions without wasting all our energy. I suggest combining our attacks. Singularly they seem to have absolutely no effect on him." Io noted.  
  
" ... except on his ego!" Callisto huffed. "It grows with every second."  
  
"I'm with ya, Io. Everybody! Let's use our best attacks, eh?" Ganymede said, readying her spear. The others nodded and called upon their weapons.  
  
Io: "Sword of Zeus, come forth!"  
  
Europa: "Staff of Zeus, appear before me!"  
  
Callisto: "Bow of Diana, Arrow of Zeus, I implore thee! Lend me your power!"  
  
The sacred weapons appeared before their wielders and floated down to them.  
  
"Now why couldn't you four have done that earlier? I wouldn't have felt so let down if I had seen that sooner." Hades chuckled.  
  
"We need to shut this ego maniac up!" Callisto fumed. "Ready everyone?"  
  
They nodded. "Ready!"  
  
Callisto... Electric ... Charge!  
  
Europa ... Deluge!  
  
Io Volcanic ... Slash!  
  
Ganymede Whirling Particles ... Rain-Down!  
  
A wave of magma, a rush of icy water, a beam of electricity and sharp invisible shards fell upon Hades. He smirked and crossed his arms in front of him. The energy bounced off his arms and shot towards the Satellite Soldiers. Europa reacted quickly and cast her protection spell, "Europa Arctic Wall!" The energy crashed upon the smooth icy surface, causing it to pop and crack.  
  
"He's more powerful than we thought!" Europa gasped, focusing her strength on keeping the wall intact.  
  
"Yeah, and the funny thing is, he hasn't really ATTACKED us yet!" Callisto said, shaking her head.  
  
"Oi! Yer right! I don't think we have whut it takes t' whup this guy quite yet." Ganymede admitted.  
  
"I'm so glad that you finally came to that conclusion," Hades chuckled. He yawned and thrust his hand in the air. A ball of dark matter formed in the air, growing brighter and bigger by the second. "So, anyway, as I was saying, I didn't want to dirty my hands over this, but since you insist on annoying me." He smirked and shook his head. "Let's get rid of your pesky little shield, shall we? DARK HORIZON!!!" The ball of energy shot through the air, breaking the wall of ice into shards. The Satellite Soldiers ducked for cover, the shards piercing their skin.  
  
"Everyone all right?" Io choked out.  
  
"Y-yeah!!" Europa nodded.  
  
The beasts began to lumber towards them. They bared their fangs as they began to swing their heavy, sword-tipped arms.  
  
"Ladies, it's been--well, not a pleasure. Maybe entertaining," Hades smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find that princess of yours. Enjoy the company I'm leaving you with. They haven't eaten in a good week, so they'd love to have you for dinner. Ta ta!" After blowing them a kiss, Hades jumped into a spinning vortex and disappeared.  
  
"Man I HATE that guy!" Callisto growled. "I mean, even that parting jab was corny!"  
  
"We can't let him get to the Princess!" Io shouted.  
  
"Right, but 'ow do we do that with these.things in our way?" Ganymede asked.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Well, Hades was right. You did make a nice showing, but absolutely no form. I guess that comes from being newbies and all." a voice scolded them.  
  
The Soldiers blinked and turned their eyes to the water fountain in the middle of the garden. Four figures stared back at them. All they could tell was that they looked like knights.  
  
"Shut yer mouth or I'll shut it fer ya!" Ganymede shouted, pointing her finger at the figures. "Who d' ya think ya are, tellin' us we've got no form?!"  
  
"No form and not very lady like either. What a combo!" the same voice laughed.  
  
"Peace, Orion," one of the other figures said. "If you want to help your Princess, you'll need our assistance."  
  
"Listen, you! I don't think that we-" Europa covered Ganymede's mouth with her gloved hand.  
  
Io cleared her throat. "What our boisterous friend is trying to say is, 'Yes, thank you. Let's work together.'"  
  
"Sorry, Trudy." Europa whispered as she released her hand. Ganymede stuck her tongue out at Europa.  
  
"Great! So, let's deal with these guys first, right?" Callisto said, aiming her bow and arrow at one of the beasts.  
  
"Ah, now this I excel at." Another one of the figures said as he stepped forward. He had to be the tallest of the four, standing over six feet in height. His dark green cape fluttered in the wind. His long silver hair flowed around him as he drew out his sword. "Please, allow me. Ares Silver Slice!" He boomed as he slashed his sword horizontally in the air. A crescent beam of silver light raced towards the beasts, slicing them in half. A blood-curdling scream escaped their jaws right before they turned into piles of ash.  
  
Europa, Io and Callisto could not help but stare in amazement. Ganymede rolled her eyes, but she was also impressed.  
  
"Just who are you guys?" Callisto finally asked. The remaining three knights stepped forward. They were all taller than the Satellite Scouts, the shortest still inches taller than the statuesque Ganymede. They all wore black armor, but the color of their capes differed. The shortest had chestnut brown hair and green eyes and wore a deep blue cape. "Sailor Perseus at your service," he said as he bowed.  
  
The scout that decimated the beasts, Ares, rolled his eyes.  
  
"I'm Sailor Orion," said the scout with the red cape said. His long black hair was silky and his dark blue eyes looked the four Satellite Soldiers over.  
  
"I'm Sailor Apollo." The last scout said. His dark blond hair fell into his violet eyes. He wore a golden cape. He seemed to be the leader. "We're Sailor Scouts of another galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy."  
  
"Huh? Guy scouts? 'ow weird!" Ganymede nodded at the four men.  
  
"Yes, well, female scouts are weird to us," Sailor Orion huffed.  
  
"I don't think that we need to be offending our new friends, Trudy," Europa said.  
  
"Right! Forgive our friend. She's a little. vocal, but she means well." Io said. "But what of our Princess? Has Hades kidnapped her?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes." Apollo said, hanging his head. "We couldn't get there in time."  
  
"Damn it!" Ganymede shouted, punching her fist into her palm. "If only I were quicker! Stronger!"  
  
"Don't feel bad, Ganymede," Apollo said. "You couldn't have known how strong Hades was. You did your best."  
  
"It's just that your best wasn't good enough," Orion said.  
  
Ganymede stomped over to Sailor Orion. "Ya know, I'm about to give ya a taste of my best in a second! All you've done since ya got here is razz me!" Ganymede said, rising on her toes to stare Orion in the eye.  
  
Orion chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I'd like to see you try."  
  
"Man, you two are nuts!" Ares mumbled. "We don't have time for this."  
  
"Yeah, Ares has a point there." Perseus nodded. "We need to help you guys and fast. But to do that, we need to go to our Galaxy."  
  
"Andromeda?" Europa asked. "But why?"  
  
"Our guardian would like to talk to you. She thinks she knows of a source to strengthen the four of you." Apollo said. He raised his right hand and made a sweeping circle in the air. A vortex appeared. "Follow me." He said before jumping in. Ares and Perseus followed directly after Apollo. Orion hung back and grinned at Ganymede.  
  
".That is, if you're not scared!" Orion winked at Ganymede before he jumped in. Her cheeks pinked.  
  
"Notta chance!" she cried as she dove in.  
  
"Well. I guess Ganymede made the decision for us!" Europa mumbled.  
  
Callisto laughed. "Just like her, huh? Let's go." 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: In the NegaVerse.  
  
Lita shivered violently as Hades dragged her into another dark room. The NegaVerse is so cold! Her mind screamed. She pulled her green velvet shawl tightly around her thin shoulders. She blinked her eyes. It was hard to adjust to see exactly what kind of room she was being dragged into. The only source of light came from depressing looking candles.  
  
"Ah, so here's the fabled Princess of Jupiter," A man's voice said.  
  
Lita looked up to see a handsome man, dressed in the armor of a NegaVerse General. His lilac hair brushed against his broad shoulders. His silver eyes peered down to stare into Lita's large green orbs.  
  
"Well, she is rather stunning, despite her young age, isn't she?" the man asked no one in particular. "So, young princess, when will your father surrender once he realizes we have you and that your Satellite Soldiers have failed to protect you?"  
  
Lita balled her fists and shook her head. "He won't! Gabby, Trudy and the others will save me! You just watch!"  
  
"Ah, ever the optimist," the man smiled. "I'm Cephus, the lead general of Queen Cassiopea's army. Enjoy your stay here, Princess. It'll be a long one." He and Hades left Lita in the lonely darkness.  
  
The young princess of Jupiter sat on the floor and shook her head. "It won't! They'll come for me. They gotta!" Lita looked around the room. After her eyes totally adjusted, she could make out a small bed, a table and what looked to be a makeshift airing vent. Lita blinked and stood.  
  
"Maybe.maybe I could fit in there." She could at least buy them some time. If these Nega.twerps didn't know where she was, they'd be too busy trying to find her, so they would have to hold off attacking Jupiter. She swallowed and began to push the table underneath the vent.  
  
The Andromeda Galaxy  
  
The Andromeda Galaxy reminded Gabrielle of Jupiter. There were mountains, rivers, and deserts. at least from where she could see out of the castle's large picture window. The castle she and the Andromeda Scouts warped to was quite impressive. Reds, golds and oranges decorated the spacious stone walls.  
  
Gabrielle pursed her lips. I wonder what's taking everyone.especially when I was the last to jump into the vortex? A loud bang answered her question. She turned to see a pile of bodies moaning.  
  
"Oww! Trudy! Will you please get off me?" Sophia moaned.  
  
"How come yer polite even when someone's squishin' ya?" Trudy groaned.  
  
"Will someone just PLEASE get up?" Callista cried. "I ended up at the bottom of the pile!"  
  
After they finally de-tangled, they blinked when they saw the Andromeda scouts and Gabrielle looking at them. "Um, just how did you manage to do that?" Perseus asked.  
  
"Uhm." Callista began. She blinked and looked down. "Why did I de- morph?"  
  
The other scouts looked down. The four definitely had de-morphed, and were now wearing their training uniforms, comfortable khaki jumpers with the symbols of their satellites on their chests.  
  
".Because you do not have the will to fight right now." a voice warbled.  
  
"Phoenix!" Sailor Perseus said, bowing. The other three quickly followed suit.  
  
Trudy gasped and pointed. "It's a talkin' bird!" she blurted. Sophia quickly slapped her hand over Trudy's mouth. It was indeed a .talking bird. The bird was at least five feet tall, and its plumes were gold, red and orange in color. She blinked her green eyes at them.  
  
"Phoenix, these are the Satellite Soldiers from the other galaxy. They ran into the soldiers of Queen Cassiopea," Sailor Apollo said.  
  
"Yes.I know." Phoenix warbled. "The four of you, Gabrielle, Sophia, Callista and Gertrude, have strong hearts as well as strong wills, however, your powers are not completely formed."  
  
"Who's Gertrude?" Orion whispered.  
  
"Trudy," Apollo answered. Orion snickered. "I 'eard that!" Trudy snapped.  
  
Phoenix chuckled. She flapped her wings. "I will send the eight of you on a quest."  
  
".Eight?" Sailor Orion asked. "You mean-"  
  
"Yes Orion. You will help the four Sailor Scouts from another galaxy." "If I may interrupt," Gabrielle said after clearing her throat. "What sort of quest is this? How will it help us?"  
  
"Ah, ever the fact-finder, Gabrielle," Phoenix smiled. "That is why your friends admire you so much and look to you for leadership."  
  
Gabrielle blinked as she looked to the other three Scouts. "Y-you do?"  
  
Sophia nodded and smiled. "Well, yes! You always come up with great plans."  
  
"An' ya know so much! You know more 'bout the NegaVerse than the King's advisas!" Trudy grinned.  
  
"And you're just.mature!" Callista nodded. "In every situation, training or otherwise, you've kept your cool and guided us. We've never voiced it, but we've always looked to you for leadership. I guess we just need to make it official."  
  
Tears sprung to Gabrielle's dark eyes. "Oh, you guys."  
  
"Hey, I can't think of anybody who would fit the bill betta, ya know?" Trudy nudged Gabrielle and winked. ".Well, otha than me, but I just can't do whut ya do!"  
  
Gabrielle cleared her throat and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, thanks, but my question wasn't answered."  
  
Phoenix chuckled. "That it wasn't. You will go on a quest to find the four virtue stones. With them, you will find the power to defeat your enemy. It will not be an easy task. Andromeda Scouts, it is up to you to assist the Satellite Soldiers and to guide them to the stones."  
  
"Beg yer pardon, Phoenix, but, we Satellite Soldiers get by on our own," Trudy said, crossing her arms.  
  
"I think you'll learn that team work is the best weapon against anything, Gertrude." Phoenix nodded.  
  
"Well, when do we start?" Callista asked.  
  
"As soon as you are ready."  
  
The girls nodded at each other. "I believe we are ready," Gabrielle said.  
  
"Good." Phoenix spread her wings and made a high pitched call. A blinding light encompassed them. A split second later, the eight Scouts found themselves in front of a massive mountain range that included an inactive volcano, surrounded by a forest and bordered by the icy cold ocean.  
  
"Where is this?" Sophia gasped.  
  
"The Lost Region." Sailor Apollo said. "A forbidden land that holds the four virtue stones. The stones of Truth, Hope, Honor and Courage."  
  
"Well, let's go find 'em!" Trudy said, starting to walk away.  
  
"Hold it, Trudy," Gabrielle said. "We need to devise a plan."  
  
"Aww." Trudy groaned. "Why can't we just."  
  
"Is she always this annoying?" Orion sighed.  
  
"I'll annoying you!" Trudy said, rolling up her sleeves.  
  
"Whoa! Chill out you two!" Sophia said, running to split the two up.  
  
"It sounds like you already have a plan, Gabby.I mean, Gabrielle," Callista said.  
  
"Yes, I do. Phoenix said that there are four virtue stones, and there are eight of us. She also said that the Andromeda Scouts would be our guides. So, the logical thing to do would be to split up and search for the stones. One Andromeda Scout to each Satellite Soldier."  
  
"Great. Just how are you going to split us up?" Ares asked.  
  
"Hm." Gabrielle rustled around her pockets. "Here! I have a pack of cards. I'll take out the kings and queens. The Andromeda Scouts will draw from the king pile, and we'll draw from the queen pile. The corresponding pairs will join up. Fair enough?"  
  
Perseus shrugged. "It can't hurt. I'll draw first, if you don't mind."  
  
After everyone had drawn, Gabrielle nodded. "Okay, everyone hold out your card."  
  
"The Queen of Spades!" Trudy said triumphantly.  
  
"Why does she sound like she's won the lottery?" Sophia whispered to Callista.  
  
Callista shrugged. "That's Trudy. Maybe that's the card she wanted?"  
  
".King of Spades." Orion mumbled.  
  
"Oh no way!" Trudy wailed. "I wanna redraw!"  
  
"Grow up you two." Ares growled. "If it helps, I'll tell you what I drew. I drew the King of Hearts."  
  
Callista blushed. "I guess we're together then."  
  
"Well, I have the King of Diamonds." Perseus smiled. "How appropriate!"  
  
Sophia rolled her eyes. "I have the compliment to your.King."  
  
"Then that must mean that we're together," Apollo said, looking at Gabrielle. His cheeks pinked.  
  
Gabrielle's cheeks became warm. "U-um, yes, by.um, simple elimination." she said as she cleared her throat.  
  
"So. anywho!" Trudy said, missing the entire moment between Gabrielle and Apollo, "Whut now?"  
  
"Well, each of us knows where a certain stone is," Apollo said. "We'll lead you to the one that we are connected to. When we obtain it, we'll head to the base of the mountain range to the west and wait. Be advised that there are traps here designed to keep the virtue stones safe." Apollo looked to his fellow Andromeda Scouts. "I suggest that we de-morph to save energy. We'll need it here."  
  
"Go ahead," Ares grumbled. "You know I don't do that."  
  
Perseus rolled his eyes. "We know, we know." The other three Andromeda Scouts changed back into their normal selves, wearing a much lighter form of armor.  
  
"Well, now that you're back to normal, what are your names?" Callista asked.  
  
"I'm Edgar Sullivan, the Sailor Scout of Wind, Courage and the trio of stars called Orion, at your service," the former Sailor Orion said puffing out his chest. Trudy rolled her eyes.  
  
"I am Kiran Mieczyslaw, the Sailor Scout of Light and Truth." The former Sailor Apollo said.  
  
"And I'm Finnian Leron, the Sailor Scout of Stone and Honor, Sailor Perseus."  
  
"What about you, Grumpy?" Callista chuckled. "Any gallant hero introduction from you?"  
  
Ares sighed and turned his back. "If you must pry, my real name is Sigurd Von Abel, the Sailor Scout of War and Hope."  
  
"Well, isn't that a conundrum! Hope AND War?" Gabrielle nodded.  
  
Trudy frowned and tilted her head. "Conundrum? Is that some sort o' laxative?" she asked.  
  
Everyone sighed and shook their heads. "We ought to get going. We can't waste any more time." Sophia piped up.  
  
"Agreed!" The Satellite Soldiers nodded.  
  
"Everyone be careful.there are a lot of beasts out here. And remember to meet at the base of the mountain range." Kiran shouted as he and Gabrielle headed towards the inactive volcano. 


End file.
